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November 6, 2005
Greasemonkeying with Google Video and YouTube
Update: I do not provide support for scripts. The Google Video Getter script is now obsolete as Google Video recently added download links for all free videos. They also include downloadable videos that can be purchased in their video store.
-- Jan. 10, 2006
Update #2: Due to popular demand I updated the Google Video Getter script. It now displays properly on the webpage. I'm told the script is not yet obsolete because Google Video downloads in a format that can only play/stream in a Google Video player. Of course the Flash Video only plays in a player capable of playing Flash Video, but at least you can view offline and convert to other formats. Enjoy!
-- Jan. 17, 2006
Update #3: I've had to update this script yet again as the Google Video service keeps changing. They now use javascript to load the Flash embed code. Not to worry, simple work around...
-- Mar. 3, 2006
One of the frustrating things about websites that use Flash video is that they rarely provide links to let you download the video files for offline viewing or transcoding/syncing to portable devices like the Sony PSP, video iPod, or Creative Zen Vision.
Case and point: Google Video and YouTube. Neither of these websites allow you to download the video files. This type of lock-down is soooo Web 1.0.
I decided to dive into Greasemonkey and create a couple scripts to expose download links on Google Video and YouTube webpages:
Google Video Getter
YouTube To Me
To install these scripts you will need the Greasemonkey extension for Firefox. After installing Greasemonkey, relaunch Firefox, then right-click the links above and select "Install User Script." Now whenever you browse to a Google Video or YouTube webpage, you will see a prominent download link at the top.
Welcome to Web 2.0 where the user is in control of the experience.
See the screenshots below to see what these scripts do...
Posted by jkinberg at 3:02 PM | Comments (138)